• Describes these basic components of religious traditions and their relationship to the sacred:

What a religious tradition says—its teachings, texts, doctrine, stories, myths, and others
What a religious tradition does—worship, prayer, pilgrimage, ritual, and so forth
How a religious tradition organizes—leadership, relationships among members, and so forth

• Identifies key critical issues in the study of religion
• Includes specific examples from the various religious traditions described in the Week One readings that honor the sacred—such as rituals of the Igbo to mark life events, the vision quest as a common ritual in many Native American societies, or the influence of the shaman as a...